Outdoor Unit Cooling Structure for Air Conditioner Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
The outdoor unit of air conditioners faces heat-related performance issues due to heated electronic parts, which can lead to malfunction and reduced lifespan, as conventional cooling methods are inefficient in maintaining consistent heat exchange.
Innovation Solution
An improved outdoor unit structure with a cooling unit that increases heat exchange efficiency by enhancing contact between a heat radiation member and a refrigerant pipe, using a heat transfer fin manufactured via die casting to ensure direct contact and air cooling, even when refrigerant flow decreases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cooling methods are used for electronic parts, then the structure is simple, but heat exchange efficiency is insufficient and cooling performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling unit merges the heat radiation member and cooling pipe into an integrated structure where the cooling pipe is embedded within the heat radiation member. This combination allows direct thermal contact between the refrigerant in the cooling pipe and the electronic parts through the heat radiation member, significantly improving heat exchange efficiency while maintaining structural compactness
Solution Approach 2:
The heat radiation member acts as an intermediary between the cooling pipe and electronic parts. It receives heat from the electronic parts and transfers it to the refrigerant in the cooling pipe, enabling efficient thermal coupling without direct contact between the cooling pipe and electronic components, thus resolving the contradiction between cooling performance and structural complexity
2Reliability
If contact area between heat radiation member and cooling pipe is increased, then heat exchange efficiency improves, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the manufacturing approach by using die-casting technology to create the cooling pipe with integrated fins. This process parameter change allows the complex geometry with large contact area to be manufactured as a single integrated component, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps and reducing manufacturing difficulty while maintaining the large heat exchange surface area
3Loss of energy
If refrigerant flow decreases, then energy consumption reduces, but cooling efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention adds a dimensional element by incorporating fins that extend perpendicular to the cooling pipe surface. This increases the heat exchange surface area in another dimension, allowing effective cooling even with reduced refrigerant flow, as the expanded surface area compensates for the lower flow rate by providing more contact area for heat transfer
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution improves heat exchange efficiency by maintaining uniform contact and adhesion, ensuring effective cooling of electronic parts and maintaining performance even with reduced refrigerant flow, thus preventing performance decline and extending the lifespan of electronic components.
Implementation Method 1
increases heat exchange efficiency by increasing an area of contact between a heat radiation member for cooling the heating unit and a refrigerant pipe and enabling direct contact between them
Implementation Method 2
manufacturing a heat transfer fin for air cooling in a die casting method
Data Source
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AI summary
An outdoor unit of an air conditioner having an improved structure to efficiently cool a heating unit of electronic parts therein, a cooling unit applied to the outdoor unit, and a method for manufacturing the cooling unit are provided. The outdoor unit of an air conditioner includes a case, a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser for condensing a refrigerant discharged from the compressor, electronic parts arranged in the case; and a cooling unit arranged to cool the electronic parts, wherein the cooling unit comprises a heat radiation member arranged to receive and cool down heat produced from the electronic parts, and to come into contact with at least a part of a cooling pipe in which the refrigerant flows, and a plurality of heat transfer fins formed at least some part of the heat radiation member.